mersch



No. 625,|83. Patented May I6, |399. P. MERSCH.

ELECTRIC AHC LAMP.

(Application led Nov. 10, 1891) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

15u/mim:

No. 525,183. I Patente'd May *15, |899. P.MERSCH.

ELECTRIC ARC LAMP.

(Application filed Nov. 10, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shed 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL MERSCH, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

ELECTRIC-ARC LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,183, dated May 16,1899.

Application led November 10, 1897. Serial No. 658,059. (No model.) l

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL MEEscH, a subject of the Grand Duke ofLuxemburg, residing in Paris, France, have invented an ImprovedArc-Lamp, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to arc-lamps of an improved construction, themain distinguishing features of which are a device enabling the carbonsautomatically toy move close together either when the lamp is first setin operation or in proportion as the carbons wearout, and,

further, a device for causin g the carbons to recede from each other andfor limiting or adjusting the intermediate space between them for thepurpose of kindling the lamp.

The invention will be, best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical elevation of the improvedarc-lamp, partly in section, on line 1 1, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan ortop view thereof. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3 3, Fig. 1,while Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of a portion of the lamp and Figs.6 and 7 detail views of a modiiication of the part represented in Figs.4 and 5.

The improved lamp comprises two ne-wire coils or solenoids A A', theinner tubes B B' of which extend below the said coils and serve to guidethe lower-carbon holder G, Fig. 1. Two plates or cross-pieces C Dconnect the ends of the said tubes B B', so as to form a complete frame.Washers a a', brazed onto the tubesB B', serve to limit the length ofthe solenoids A A', the upper washers a being in contact with the plateor cross-piece C.

The tubes B B' exteriorly of the coils A A are provided with slots b toaord a passage for each end of the lower-carbon holder G. To the vend ofthe carbon-holder are fixed cores or plungers H H', which may be tubularor solid and of round, conical, or square shape in section and adaptedto slide within the tubes B B either under the magnetic action of thecoils A A or by their own weight plus the weight of the carbon-holder G,as will be presently explained.

To the upper end of each of the cores II H' there is attached a chain,cord, or band I, these chains issuing from the tubes B B' through anaperture j, formed in the plug J,

4the upper-carbon holder G.

-The upper carbon-holder G', being lighter vthan the lower-carbon holderG, secured to the cores H H', is guided in its vertical movements byguide-rods M, Fig. 1, the cross-sec tional shape of which may beselected arbitrarily and which are iixed to the end washers da' of thesolenoid. Upon these rods slide the ends of the upper-carbon holder G',said ends being constructed for this purpose and provided with rollersor not, as may be preferred.

The pulleys K, over which pass the chains or cords I, are provided withcheeks toothed at their circumference and adapted to operate inconjunction with a small pawl O, provided with an elongated aperture oand mou'nted upon a pivot in the brackets L.

As will be readily seen by reference to Figs. 1, 4, and 5 of thedrawings, the pawls O pre# vent the pulleys K from revolving when inconsequence of the chains I being drawn by the cores H H' thelower-carbon holder G descends, thereby causing an upward movement ofthe upper-carbon holder G', for in this case the chains I by acting uponthe pulleys K cause them to perform a rotary movement, but inasmuch asthe pawls O rest upon the toothed rims of the cheeks of the said pulleysthey are driven upward by the teeth of the cheeks until the lower end ofthe oval aperture o meets the pivot Z, (see Figs. 1 and 4,) at whichjuncture the teeth of the pulleys K, being in gear with the pawls O,lock such pulleys and also, consequently, the carbons in position, sincethe chains I cannot then rot-ate the pulleys; but when the said chains Imove in such a manner as to move the carbons close together-that is tosay, when the upper-carbon holder G' descends and the lower-carbonholder G rises-the pulleys K are free to revolve, as in that case thepawls O follow their movement until the upper ends of their apertures omeet the pivot l, after which they remain in that position, their beakssimply resting upon (or sweeping over) the teeth of the pulleys K, asshown in Fig. 5.

The current reaches the lamp through a IOO binding screw or post N,electrically connected to the upper-carbon holder G', after which suchcurrent is intended to flow through the two carbons to the lower-carbonholder G, electrically connected to the metal body of the lamp, and toleave the same through the bindingpost N'. The solenoids A A' arearranged in parallel with each other and with the carbons. For thispurpose one end of each solenoid-coil is connected to the inletbinding-post N and the other end to the outlet bindingpost N Theoperation of the improved lamp is as follows: We will suppose that atthe time the current is sent into the lamp the carbons are' somedistance apart, as in consequence of this intermediate distances thecurrent cannot pass from the upper-carbon holder G' to the lower-carbonholder G it passes on through the solenoids A A direct to the outletbinding-post N. Under the magnetic action of these solenoids the cores HH' are attracted upward and the lower-carbon holder G, to which thesecores are joined, participates in such upward movement. At the same timeas the lower carbon rises the upper carbon G' descends, owing to theconnection of the two carbon-holders G G' through the chains I. IVe havealready seen that when the pulleys K revolve for the purpose of bringingthe carbons nearer to each other the pawls O do not hinder their rotarymotion. They simply rest in contact with the teeth of the pulley-cheeks,Fig. 5. The two carbons on moving in the manner just stated come intocontact with each other. Inasmuch as now the resistance offered by suchcarbons to the passage of the current is less than the resistance of thesolenoids A A', the current on its way to the outlet binding-post Apasses almost n toto through the upper-carbon holder G', the carbons,the lower-carbon holder G, and the body of the lamp. As the current nowpassing through the solenoids A A' is of very little strength, themagnetic action of such solenoids upon the cores II H' is discontinuedand the said cores,alon g with the lowercarbon holder G, which is ofgreater weight than the upper-carbon holder G', perform a downwardmovement, which causes a corresponding upward movement to beaccomplished by the upper-carbon holder G'; but, as has been explainedbefore, the pawl O, by its action upon the toothed cheeks of the pulleysK, prevents the carbons from moving apart, for the cores H H indescending pull or stretch the chains I, which raise the uppercarbonholder G' in consequence and at the same time set in motion the pulleysK, which perform a rotary movement in the direction of the arrows, Figs.l and 4; but inasmuch as the pawls O are still in gear with the teeth ofthe cheeks of the said pulleys by reason of the rotary motion of suchpulleys they are in their turn pushed upward until the bottom end of theoval slot o meets the pivot Z. IV hen this contact takes place, itcauses the pulleys K,

as well as the carbons, to stop, the carbons then standing only just asfar apart as is necessary to light the lamp.. The lamp, therefore, isnow in operation, and all the parts forming the regulating device occupythe positions in which they are represented in Fig. l of the drawingsiWhen in consequence of the carbons wearing away the distance betweenthem increases, the resistance of the arc increases likewise, so that alarger amount of current then passes through the solenoids A A'. Thiscurrent renders the magnetic action of the said solenoids moreeifectual, intensifying it until it is sufficient to attract the cores HH' upward. These cores then rise, taking the lowercarbon holder G alongwith them and causing the upper holder G' to descend through theintermediate action of the chain I. The carbons are consequently movedcloser together. During these movements the pulleys K perform aslightrotary movement in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5, and the pawls O,which rest upon the teeth of the cheeks of the said pulleys, simplyfollow this movement until the upper ends of their oval apertures 0 intheir turn meet the pivot l, whereupon they remain stationary in thisposition without exercising any influence upon the operation of thelamp. The carbons being thus brought together, a less quantity ofcurrent now passes through the solenoids A A' but inasmuch as the lampis now acting as an alluminant, as has just been explained, it will beunderstood that the magnetic eect of the said solenoids mustnevertheless be sufficient to prevent any descent of the cores, sincetheyare constantly being traversed by part of the main current, andseeing that as soon as the carbons again move apart an increased amountof the main current, proportionate to the distance for which the carbonshave receded from each other, will pass through the solenoids, with theresult that they will immediately attract the cores H II' in the upperdirection, which will cause the carbons to move up to each other again,and so on.

In view of the foregoing it will be understood that the cores H H andalso, conseing, and this goes on until the magnetic effect of thesolenoids becomes suflciently powerful to gradually attract the cores HII', which will accordingly transmit their motion to the carbon-holdersG G', so as to bring them nearer together, this movement of thecarbon-holders IOO IOS

IIO

IZO

toward each other being in all cases just sufiicient to make up for theWear of the carbons, while it can never move the carbons into contactwith each other, as the moment no more than the normal distance betweenthem is left the current passing through the solenoid must lack thestrength necessary for shifting the cores H H.

In order that the magnetic action of the solenoids A A may be the samethroughout their lengthi'. e., with a view t0 equalizing the magneticlield of the solenoids-and with the special object of making use of thelamp for continuous currents, I provide an iron tube or shield M',surrounding the solenoid entirely and inclosing these solenoids by meansof the iron washers a a', as shown in Fig. 1.

As regards the pawls 0, which serve to limitY the distance between thecarbons for the purpose of illumination, it is clear that their pathmight be regulated by elongating the aperture 0 more or less. Itisobvious that these pawls o may be replaced by any other device capableof producing the same result. Y Thus, as will be seen by referring toFigs. 6 and 7, the bracket L-might be provided with a hanger lf',constructed in the form shown and adapted to receive a flat piece R,corresponding to each of the pulleys K. These parts R, terminating eachin a beak or nose, would engage in the teeth ofthe said pulleys,andinasmuch as their vertical path would be limited by the hangers Z theywould operate exactly like the pawls O, the stroke or extent of motionof the pieces R being limited by set-screws r.

l claim- 1. An electric-arc lamp, comprising solenoid-coils, coresmovable therein, a carbonholder connected to the cores directly, anothercarbon-holder connected to the first-named holder in such a manner as tomove in the 0pposite direction, and electrical connections by which thesolenoid-coils are connected in parallel with each other and with thecarbons.

2. An electric-arc lamp having a carbona movable stop or pawl arrangedto engage the said pulley to arrest the carbons when moving apart, saidstop having a longitudinal slot through which passes the fulcrnm-pin ofthe stop to permit of a limited outward movement holder, a magneticdevice for controlling said 4o of the stop and of a correspondinglimited 6o movement of the carbons from each other.

4. The combination of the solenoid-coils,the

shields surrounding said coils and made of magnetizable material, thecores slidable in said coils, the magnetizable cross-bar connecting thelower ends of said cores, the carbon-holder attached to the said cores,and another carbon-holder connected With the firstnamed holder to movein the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

PAUL MERSCH.

Vitnesses:

EDWARD P. MACLEAN, ALPHONSE MEJEAM.

